With the cost of living on the rise, around 6% of the general population are struggling to access enough nutritious food to support a healthy lifestyle. For Aboriginal communities, however, this figure rises to an alarming 33%. This is known as ‘food insecurity’.
Leaders from across government, academia, industry and the community sector have come together to tackle the issue of food insecurity in Aboriginal communities at the first ever Food Equity Symposium in NSW.
Aboriginal peoples continue to experience health inequalities and a life expectancy of almost 10 years lower compared with non-Indigenous Australians.
Improving nutrition and food security along with community support is essential for addressing these health disparities and Closing the Gap.
The NSW Government is committed to finding new ways of working with Aboriginal communities to enact positive and lasting solutions.
The idea of a food equity symposium evolved from Aboriginal Affairs NSW’s pandemic food relief work, which identified and addressed major service gaps in Aboriginal communities.
Food projects were established, resulting in the equivalent of 1.6 million meals delivered directly to Aboriginal households over 2 years.
Read more about the Food Equity Symposium.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris, who opened the symposium said:
“Food insecurity is an issue that disproportionately affects Aboriginal communities but requires a whole-of-community solution to resolve.
“That is why this symposium is important. This is the first time we have brought all the experts together to test ideas and find solutions to give our communities the food security they need and deserve.
“The health gap between Aboriginal people and the rest of the community will continue to widen unless action is taken to address availability and affordability of nutritious food.
“The NSW Government is committed to Closing the Gap and that means thinking and acting differently and working with Aboriginal communities on solutions.
“We know when we work with Aboriginal people on issues that affect them, we get better outcomes. That is what I am looking forward to out of this symposium.”
